By: Soha Yassine 

On January 8th, the Academy of Islamic Thought will begin the third module of the 2011-2012 year titled “The American Muslim Family.” The class will co-taught by Necva Ozger and Noha Alshugairi. Both of these women have extensive knowledge with social and family issues. Ms. Ozger, one of the founding members of the AIT, serves on the Educational Council which governs the New Horizon Schools, while Ms. Alshugairi is an experienced marriage and family therapist. Together, they will focus on parenting and tackling the issues that modern American Muslims face.

The Academy of Islamic Thought was founded in 2009 to “offer a cutting-edge educational program to develop a balanced American Muslim community that is empowered with authentic, solid, and relevant knowledge and a modern understanding of Islam.”  Above all, the goal of AIT is to bridge the gap between knowledge of Islam and the practical application of it in our daily lives.

The Academy functions under the guidance of the Educational Council with Dr. Maher Hathout, Dr. Gasser Hathout, Mr. Jihad Turk, Ms. Noha Alshugairi comprising the faculty. Past classes have been offered by guest lecturers such as Sh. Mohammed Faqih, Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Dr. Hamid Mavani, Sh.Yasser Fazaga, Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman and others.

As in past years, this academic year has been met with a large, committed group of students. When asked, one student said “I have not been this intellectually challenged and stimulated since I was in college!”